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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

I remember sitting in our Galveston apartment in 2005 and opening my birthday present from Cody. It was puppy toys!

We searched and searched for the perfect boxer puppy for our family. I finally found you on the computer and even though you were out of state, we had to have YOU! These are the photos of you we fell in love with!

On October 4, 2005 we had you flown to the Houston airport. I remember how excited I was walking up to the claim area for you! You were the best birthday present!!

I could not wait to introduce you to Harley! You LOVED him immediately!

November 2005

You quickly grew into a beautiful dog!

December 2005

December 2005

Your 1st Christmas & I had painted your nails red!

Your ears used to get stuck inside out and it made us laugh!

We took you hiking at Enchanted Rock!

We moved back to Corpus Christi the Summer of 2006 and you loved having a house and yard to run around in!

December 2006

You always loved Christmas just like mommy!

Christmas 2006

Your Christmas Stocking 2006

Your Christmas Stocking 2007

Your Christmas Stocking 2008

You were happy as long as you were right next to us!

January 2007

March 2007, we took you camping at Choke Canyon.

You loved going out to the ranch and being able to run around free, ride on the mule, & see the animals!

July 2007

December 2007

May 2008, we took you camping to Colorado Bend State Park.

You loved to play, jump, chase balls & fetch!

July 2008

You thought you were a lapdog despite how big you grew!

2008

In February 2009, we introduced you to Reese!

March 19, 2010

July 10, 2010

Thank you for bringing such happiness to her! Without you, I would not have these memories.

October 1, 2010 we introduced you to Emma!

Emma loves you with all her heart!

In December 2011, we introduced you to Scarlett. I can't find a baby picture with you and her, which makes me sad. She loves you very much & you loved her! Scarlett loved throwing your toy from the swing for you to go fetch!

March 29, 2013

August 7, 2013

You LOVED climbing into the clubhouse with the girls & looking out over the fence!

March 20, 2013

You were so happy with your best bud Harley right next to you!

March 4, 2013

You were so good & patient with the girls! They love you with all their hearts!

March 11, 2013 Emma's big hug

March 20, 2013 Reese & Bailey

March 20, 2013 Emma & Bailey

March 20, 2013 Scarlett & Bailey

In March 2013, we discovered growths on your left side.

March 20, 2013

We had the vet take a biopsy and we found out they were cancerous lesions. We did not know how far spread your cancer was. We had the lesions that we could see removed. You were so strong through this and never showed your pain!

March 27, 2013

Reese picked you a flower to make you feel better!

May 15, 2013

May 28, 2013 we had to say goodbye to Harley and the girls loved on you extra that day!

You mourned over the loss of Harley just like the rest of our family.

May 29, 2013

May 30, 2013

You never left our side after that...

June 7, 2013

July 1, 2013

November 27, 2013

January 19, 2014

January 19, 2014 you comforted Scarlett who wasn't feeling well.

February 13, 2014 you looked fabulous!

On April 2, 2014 you got very sick. We discovered you had a large tumor in your right lung that caused a spontaneous pneumothorax. The vet told us to take you home to be surrounded by family that you may not survive the night. We didn't have you home for 10 minutes and I found Reese laying under the kitchen table with you.

April 2, 2014

We spent that day outside loving on you!

April 2, 2014

You made it through the night & recovered from the pnuemothorax with the help of steroids.

April 3, 2014 the girls gave you a full check up!

I was so upset at the thought that you would not get to meet our last child. You managed to prove the vet wrong and fought the cancer for another 14 months after that!

In June 2014, we introduced you to Georgia. Words cannot express how happy I was that you got to meet her. It was really important to me that you got to know all of our children and you did!

August 23, 2014

September 6, 2014

November 28, 2014

January 3, 2015

You were always right by our side. Thank you for your loyalty to our family!

July 13, 2014

August 3, 2014 thanks for playing along!

Several more times over the past year you had a spontaneous pnuemothorax from the large tumor in your lung. You always fought through it and recovered when your lung sealed itself back off.

October 10, 2014

You continued to remain by our side...keeping watch over us. Your favorite spot was on the 2nd to the top stair so you could see us upstairs and the front door in case you needed to bark at any strangers. We felt safe with you guarding us.

June 9, 2015 Cody took you back to the vet because your breathing was very labored. We were informed you only had one functioning lung now. The tumor had blocked the other lung completely and was even blocking the heard sounds. We were told you were fine to remain at home with us as long as your gums remained pink.

Over the past week, we could tell your remaining time with us was short. You had almost completely stopped eating and drinking. Your breathing was very labored now with only one functioning lung. Cody checked your gums daily to see if you were oxygenating enough. You started to refuse to walk down the stairs to the backyard because it made you too winded, so he would take you out the front door instead.

June 28, 2015, we decided to spend the day outside and you seemed to really enjoy it! You watched the girls play, drank water from the water guns, and even smiled for a few pictures.

You were happy!

These girls love you so much!

After a while, we made you go inside and rest because you couldn't catch your breath being outside.

The girls were concerned about your breathing but you were happy next to us!

Somehow you kept managing to come back outside whenever one of the girls would open the door. We tried to make you go back in the house and you wouldn't. Instead, you laid under the slide in the shade and stayed near us.

By the time we went inside your tongue was blue. I gave you a shower, which you always loved because you could drink all the water off the shower floor. This time you didn't. Your body was so very frail. You had lost a lot a weight. I was afraid I would hurt you rubbing the shampoo on you. When you got out of the shower you just stood there. You normally would have run into our room, rubbed yourself against our bed and rolled around a few times feeling refreshed.

Cody and I knew it was time. I sat there with you that night and looked into your eyes and cried. I rested my forehead on yours and you looked at me like you knew what was happening. We agreed to call the vet the next morning so you would not be in pain.

That night I prayed. I prayed God would take you peacefully on His own so that we would not have to make that decision ourselves.

June 29, 2015, you had survived the night and woke up rested & recovered. After breakfast Cody made the call and got an appointment for 1pm at the vet. The girls wanted to take pictures with you so they could have photos of you to keep in their rooms. We went back outside briefly and you sat and took pictures with each of the girls.

You were smiling!

You were so good with Georgia!

An hour later you were delirious. We had the girls go upstairs while we cared for you. Cody rinsed you off very quickly and washed your face. As soon as you got out of the shower your muscles started to shake from your body shutting down. I stepped out of the bathroom to make sure the girls weren't walking in. You died quickly in the comfort of Cody's arms.

I will never forget the look on his face when he walked out of our room just moments later. My heart sank. I told the girls you died and were now resting and on your way to heaven.

Your time with us on earth is over. We find peace in knowing you are reconnected with Harley now and are watching over us. The girls want you to have "lots of dog treats, run around, play tag with Harley, and even dance"!

You are not "just a dog"! You were very much part of our family for almost 10 years! You witnessed our entire marriage, the birth of all our children, & all their 1st birthdays. There was a time when I didn't think you would live to meet Georgia but you fought to survive!

On your last days with us, you were so happy! You watched the girls play outside, you climbed into the clubhouse, you climbed the pool rocks, you drank water from their water guns, you even ate a few dog treats from the the girls! You never once let on that you were in pain. You were incredibly strong!

We are struggling now that you are gone. Tears flow easily & constantly. We all look on the stairs and expect to see you laying there. We expect to hear you come running when the back door opens. Cody still waits for you to greet him at the front door after work. I look for you in the front door window when I come home. We walk into our bedroom and expect to see you there. The house doesn't feel the same without you in it.

The girls keep looking at your pictures & praying. Reese doesn't want to have a home without a dog & says it will take a long time for us to get to Heaven to see you again. Emma dreams about you. Scarlett wants to know why we can't keep you even though you have died. Georgia points to your picture in her room, waves, & says dog. We all love you & miss you more than we ever imagined!

I thank God for blessing us with your life. I thank God for your unconditional love and protection. I thank God for giving you the strength to survive long enough for Georgia to love you! I thank Him for taking you Home for us.

I pray for comfort & peace. I pray that you have found Harley again and are happy!! I can picture you reconnecting with him and being so excited, boxing at him, laying on him like always! I pray that you will forgive me for walking away during your last moments so that the girls wouldn't see you leaving. I pray you can now breathe with ease and no longer hurt.

The girls pray you have a nice comfy bed to lay on, lots of dog treats, & that you are happy with Harley.We love you Bailey!

About Me

I am a wife to a wonderful man & a mommy to four amazing little girls!!! My daughters have sparked some hidden inner "craftiness" that I did not know existed! I now love party planning and crafting. You can't have little princesses and not know how to make a tutu! I also have a new desire to plan wholesome meals for my family after my recent weightloss journey!